Today, it is popular for people to text message or chat amongst one another. Text messages can be sent by various means, such as Short Message Service (SMS) or dedicated application programs (e.g., instant messaging applications). Examples of dedicated application programs include Whatsapp, Snapchat, Google Talk, ChatOn, and Facebook Messenger. Also, it is popular for people to communicate by electronic mail (e-mail), phone or video calls, using mobile telephones or computers. Mobile telephones enable communication by text messages or voice calls. One example of a VoIP-based phone application is Skype.
As communication options keep expanding, users will necessarily be required to manage multiple accounts for receiving communications. In some cases, users are forced to manage multiple accounts to keep personal and business communications separate. Although expanding the communications options for users is a benefit in terms of expanding the user's communication reach, users are currently challenged to keep up with received messages. This challenge is in part due to an ever increasing volume of communications received by users on a daily basis and in part due to the vast amounts of social and work related demands on a user's time.
Users must also concern themselves with privacy during their communications. For example, user may be concerned that electronic communications are being recorded and may be later resurface in an undesired manner. In some cases, due to the nature of today's messaging formats, later surfacing of statements made in messages may be taken out of context. In other cases, users exchanging messages may simply wish the liberty of exchanging their thoughts openly, but since electronic messages will be saved in some form, open communications between people are hindered.
There remains a need for improved approaches to enable users to more efficiently manage responses to communication requests received from one or more other users.